Roku Legacy Products

[aj1701]

I've had a Roku XS2 since about 2014 with little issue.  After the latest firmware update in December, it seems that after I turn the TV off, when I later turn it back on, the TV gets no signal from the roku, which is connected via HDMI.  The only solution is to unplug the power, and plug it back in, then the Roku comes back and works fine.  Until the next time I turn off the TV that is.  

This has not happened until the Dec update, previously it works fine.  My Ultra also works fine as well.  Any ideas?

[DBDukes]

"aj1701" wrote:
I've had a Roku XS2 since about 2014 with little issue.  After the latest firmware update in December, it seems that after I turn the TV off, when I later turn it back on, the TV gets no signal from the roku, which is connected via HDMI.  The only solution is to unplug the power, and plug it back in, then the Roku comes back and works fine.  Until the next time I turn off the TV that is.  

This has not happened until the Dec update, previously it works fine.  My Ultra also works fine as well.  Any ideas?

The Roku 2 XS (model 3100) was discontinued in March 2013. If you didn't get it until 2014, it was used, old, or refurbished when you got it. The point is, that's a very old device, although top of the line when Roku introduced it in the summer of 2011. You should still get some good use from it, although having an Ultra, you know how much faster the newer devices are.

So, how to resolve the issue and get more life out of your Roku 2 XS? Well, you didn't say what software version and build you're running. My guess is version 9.0, but no idea what build. I'm away from my Roku 2 XS and won't be able to check its software until the weekend. I will say that my Roku 2 XS was running just fine last week after its latest update.

Assuming my build and your build are the same, that would indicate it's not the build in and of itself. It could be something about yours, though, such as some corruption of data on the box itself. If that's the case, the best solution might be the drastic one: full factory reset.

If you go that route, first, remove it from your account via https://my.roku.com then, while plugged in, hold down the reset button for no less than 30 seconds. For example, 29 seconds is too short a time. A full 30 seconds. If something comes up on the screen, ignore it. A full 30 seconds.

After that go though the device setup. After everything has downloaded and you've checked for updates (possibly more than once), reboot one more time and see how it performs.

Good luck.

[aj1701]

A factory reset didn't fix the issue either.  I got the Roku new in 2012, 2014 was  a typo.  I still believe it is something with the latest update; just because it works for you does not mean there isn't an issue somewhere causing this.  I know the TV and roku can talk via the HDMI CEC commands; maybe the TV tells the roku its turning off and the roku stops sending a video signal to save power, but its not correctly coming back from that.  At any rate, the problem literally started immediately after the update, and I know the TV hasn't updated (its not connected to the network), so that only leaves the roku.

[DBDukes]

"aj1701" wrote:
A factory reset didn't fix the issue either.  I got the Roku new in 2012, 2014 was  a typo.  I still believe it is something with the latest update; just because it works for you does not mean there isn't an issue somewhere causing this.  I know the TV and roku can talk via the HDMI CEC commands; maybe the TV tells the roku its turning off and the roku stops sending a video signal to save power, but its not correctly coming back from that.  At any rate, the problem literally started immediately after the update, and I know the TV hasn't updated (its not connected to the network), so that only leaves the roku.

Have you tried another TV, if you have one you could test on without too much difficulty?

If it was the Roku 2 XS and the software — you still haven’t answered the question about which build — then it seems it should affect yours and mine. It only affects yours. So, what’s different?

Your TV and my TV might be different.
Your HDMI cables might be different.
Your Roku might be different in that it’s going bad.

Those are the most obvious to me, but certainly could be more.

Testing on a different TV might determine if it’s the first.

Swapping cables might determine if it’s the second.

As for the third? Well, the device was once top of the line. It’s since been replaced in that spot by five different devices:

Roku 3 model 4200
Roku 3 model 4230
Roku 4 model 4400
Roku Ultra model 4640
Roku Ultra models 4660/4661 (identical devices)

Before spending any money replacing it, it might be better, or at least cheaper, to rule out the other things.

Don’t reach any conclusion such as “it’s gotta be the Roku” until you’ve fully tested. I expect you’d be disappointed to replace the device and then find the issue still exists because of a $5 cable.

It may be your Roku 2 XS, and it may be necessary to replace it. But it still might not be. If you’re simply ready to replace it, you already have a good reason: you want to. but unless you want to, try more extensive troubleshooting and see if you can squeeze some more life from it.

[mcangus58]

Has anyone identified a fix for this?  Have a Roku 2 XS model 3100x.  Every time I shut off the TV, the Roku won't work when I turn the TV back on until I pull out the Roku power plug and put it back in.  Then it goes through it's reboot process.  Didn't used to do this.  I realize the 3100 is "old," but if there is a fix I'd like to know.

[aj1701]

I never found a fix; it seems like the Roku is actually on, but not outputting video.  It's also warm to the touch, so maybe its caught in some kind of loop.  I ended up buying the Roku Stick Premium+.

[atc98092]

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@aj1701 wrote:

I never found a fix; it seems like the Roku is actually on, but not outputting video.  It's also warm to the touch, so maybe its caught in some kind of loop.  I ended up buying the Roku Premiere+.

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I took my 2 XS out of a drawer about 6 months ago to test something for someone, but then it went right back into the drawer. it's just far too outdated and lacking performance to work with the current version of some channels. My older 3600 Stick still works fine, but it too is getting old. I'm going to be using my Premiere for my travels instead and retire the Stick. On the rest of my TVs I have either a Roku Ultra, Nvidia Shield, or the TV itself is a Roku. The older players just can't hack it any longer. 

[mcangus58]

Thanks for the reply.  I've concluded the same thing.  Funny how "old" varies.  This Roku is around 8 or 9 (?) years old.  That'd be ancient for a cell phone, but practically new for a stereo system (I have a Pioneer turntable that's 42).

[aj1701]

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@atc98092 wrote:I took my 2 XS out of a drawer about 6 months ago to test something for someone, but then it went right back into the drawer. it's just far too outdated and lacking performance to work with the current version of some channels.

Well, that's the frustrating thing.  Its not performant enough to run some of the current channels, but its obviously still powerful enough to play 1080p video & audio since it was capable of that from the day it was released.  I think its reasonable expect to still work, just like a DVD player from the 90s can still play DVDs just fine assuming no mechanical problems b/c DVDs haven't changed.

[atc98092]

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@aj1701 wrote:
Well, that's the frustrating thing.  Its not performant enough to run some of the current channels, but its obviously still powerful enough to play 1080p video & audio since it was capable of that from the day it was released.  I think its reasonable expect to still work, just like a DVD player from the 90s can still play DVDs just fine assuming no mechanical problems b/c DVDs haven't changed.

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Actually, the 2 XS even new would not play full bitrate 1080 Blu ray rips. It has a bitrate limit of about 14 Mbps, while Blu Ray movies can top 20 Mbps easily. I have some 1080 material that has peak bitrates over 40 Mbps. I had to configure my DLNA server to reduce the bitrate to about 12 Mbps to smoothly stream HD material. And it's always better to not have to do that. Starting with the players released around 2015/16, I found no problem streaming my BD rips, and only run into network limitations with UHD rips exceeding 100 Mbps.